Racing Against Time
by Demon-imp360
Summary: A series of freakish events has been unfolding, and now the help of an unlikely ally will be needed to save Arcadia this time. I suck at summaries, but its better than this crap summary
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Skies of Arcadia Legends(or else I'd have way more money than I do now...)

Author Notes: This story may contain spoilers for those of you who haven't finished the game yet, so if you don't want to ruin the ending, read this after finishing. This takes place after the game(five years, you'll find out). This is my first story, and constructive criticism would be appreciated ). Later chapters may include some RamirezxEnrique. Also, I have added some things that were not in the game, but they will be explained later, okay? Thank you.

Racing Against Time

Chapter Zero: Awake

His eyes opened slowly, blood rushing down his pale skin. Where he was, he had no idea, and it was a distant concern. It didn't matter; his time left was short, anyway.

"_Ramirez...Ramirez, get up,_"

Whose voice was that? Oh, wait, it was her voice. His mother. She...gave her life for his, twice now. And yet he still didn't even remember what she looked like, really. She'd died when he was only two, after all. This was the second time. She'd taken much of the final blow, and had kept him from being destroyed by temporarily sealing his soul in his crystal until it had remade his body. It apparently hadn't been able to heal his wounds, though.

"Mother...how can I get up? I'm too weak now. And besides, there is no way I'll last much longer with these wounds. I can't believe...that you..." his voice broke, blood and fatigue kept him from continuing.

"_My child, if you could stand, I could teleport you somewhere to be treated. Please, my precious son, even if for only a second__..."_ she pleaded. Her voice was gentle and beautiful. He was amazed at how soothing she was. Never before had he felt so relaxed, even though he was about to die.

"Okay, Mother..." he groaned in agony as he forced himself on his knees, which were, like the rest of his broken body, minced. With no balance, he rose to his feet, which were left bare. All he had on now was very shredded remains of his Valuan uniform, the shirt practically gone; only covering slight amounts of his upper body, and his pants barely covered his private parts, and not much else. It wouldn't take much to rip those off either, seeing as small threads connected what was left.

"_Well done, Ramirez_" with that, a pale glow of silvery light shone around him, and he fell unconscious as he disappeared off of the deserted rock he'd been on. He wondered where he would end up. It wasn't as if he'd be particularly welcomed in many places, given that he'd tried to kill everyone with the Rains of Destruction, after all. Figuring that she wouldn't transport him anywhere she'd believe to be dangerous, he let his mind follow suit with his body, and completely lost contact with the conscious world, for now.


	2. Dangerous Call

Disclaimer: Still don't own Skies of Arcadia.

Author Notes: Yes, I did create a couple of characters for temporary reasons.

Chapter One: Dangerous Call

"Wow, it sure is hard to believe that five years ago this place was in ruins! You and everyone else really did a great job!" a brunette male stated. He was twenty-two now, and still just as adventurous as he'd always been. He hadn't changed a bit. "It's beautiful now, besides the gloomy black skies!" he complimented. He even had his old smile still. It was nice that some things didn't change.

"Thank you. It's thanks to all of the people. And it's very nice having the two cities as one now. The black sky doesn't make this place as bad as it did back then. Probably because the people are actually happy now!" the young king, age twenty-three now, smiled warmly. The four of them looked off of the palace balcony, staring at the large city that had taken four years to fully complete. Now there were about twenty thousand people, compared to the starting amount of a thousand two-hundred. Thanks to the new, kinder leader, people actually moved to Valua.

"It's so amazing! I can't believe that this place was once the most hated and tyrannical continent in the world! You're a great king, Enrique," the young Silvite girl stated sincerely.

"I'm glad that you think so, Fina. It's good to see a positive change to Valua I'm honored to be the one that was king during Valua's great turnaround!" he declared, leaning against the railing, smiling happily at the grand accomplishment the once-destroyed land had gone through.

"Yeah, now hardly anyone remembers how much they hated Valua. It's thanks to you, Enrique. Because you're such a great ruler!" Aika added.

It was nice to see his old friends again. It'd been two years since he'd seen them, because of how busy he'd been. Enrique still wasn't really used to the title of king yet. It felt awkward, and also was a quiet reminder that showed that his mother was indeed dead. Five years ago Galcian had fallen, five years since Teodora had been killed in the Rains of Destruction, and five years ago, Soltis had fallen for the last time. Even now it was hard to imagine that they had nearly seen the end of the world back then. Now times were peaceful, or so it seemed. There were more and more rumors accumulating about sightings of a strange Moon, and of freakish powers unleashed in small quantities every now and then all over. Ever since they had found the Black Moon Stone in the Dark Rift, Vyse, Enrique, Fina, and Aika began silently wondering if the Black Moon had something to do with the recent events. Enrique himself had once seen it about fifteen months ago, a large black object in the sky, foreshadowing even the Yellow Moon and making the sky a deeper, more heinous black. It had terrified the Valuans then, but there had been nothing like it since then in their area. The weirdest part was that it happened all over, as if the Moon itself moved around, unlike the Six Moons that were always in the same sky. It was rather unnerving to all of them.

"So...Have you heard anything more on the weird sightings or changes in the air?" it was a reason that the Air Pirates had come, and it was Fina who finally voiced the question unsteadily. Enrique understood, it was a world-wide concern, after all.

He looked at her, she seemed worried and guilty. It was apparent that she didn't want it to seem like that was the only reason they'd visited. He smiled disarmingly, showing that he wasn't offended. "No, I'm sorry. Ever since that horrifying day the whole region was caught in a cold, abyss-like eclipse, there's been nothing wrong. Anything on your end?" this was the unnerving subject. Talking about the disturbing incidents.

Vyse shook his head. "No, not by Crescent Isle. But in Maramba, about two months ago, there was a very sudden, terrible pressure change that sunk ships, nearly sunk others, and killed some people. After the pressure returned to normal, there was an enormous wind storm that lasted for thirteen hours. It was pretty bad. About eight hundred people, Nasrs and merchants from other continents alike, died," the four cringed. Thirteen, the number symbolizing evil...That wasn't coincidence, surely. And that was rather terrifying in and of itself.

Enrique just stared at him. Pressure? So, it lead even more to their conclusion, the Black Moon did have the power to cause shifts in the pressure. "That's terrible...Where all have sightings been? I've heard that it was seen in the Lands of Ice, here, and now Maramba? How can a Moon be seen in all these places? That's all across the world!"

"Yeah...It's really weird. Dad also says he's seen a strange black object in the sky near Pirate Isle about twenty-five months ago. So they only places left are Yafutoma and Ixa'taka. I think that I'll go to Yafutoma, and see if anything happens. Who knows, maybe the Moon is traveling the globe. Why, I don't know. But it seems to be the only lead we've got for now," Vyse reasoned. Fina nodded in silent agreement.

Aika looked at him. "You know what it did to ships in Maramba! What happens if the pressure freaks out again? We'll sink and die too! How do you plan on observing?" she asked, a little scared.

"Don't worry, we'll dock in Esperanza and ask Moegi to send a ship to pick us up. And the moment we see the Black Moon rising, get away from any objects above you and get down so you aren't slammed into the ground. If we're careful, it'll be alright. And if you don't want to come, you don't have to Aika. I'm not forcing you to go somewhere dangerous like that," Vyse encouraged kindly.

Enrique felt a strange sensation and caused a shiver to course down his spine. "Oh my god..." he groaned. What had that been? Something about...Rixis? Who had spoken to him? He didn't recognize that voice at all! "What was that?"

"Enrique? Are you okay?" Fina was quick to move to his side, worried about him.

He looked at her, "No, no, I'm fine. But I swear that I heard someone talk to me...They said: 'go to Rixis, please. Please save my child.' But I don't have any idea as to who spoke to me. Her voice was completely unfamiliar...And why would someone be in Rixis?"

"In Rixis? No one's been there since we went for the Green Moon Crystal...And what kind of person can speak to only you, and in your mind? That's creepy...What is going on in the world...?" Vyse murmured.

"Silvites..." Fina whispered. "Extremely powerful Silvite mages can speak directly into someone's mind. Otherwise, I don't know who it could be. But why would a Silvite talk to you? No offense, but it's not like it's everyday that Silvites talk to anyone other than other Silvites, and even then...There are hardly any Silvites left, much less Silvites that can mentally call out to people," she explained. The look of worry hadn't left her features, but only deepened at hearing what had happened.

"...A Silvite? Aren't only the Elders and yourself the remaining Silvites? Do you think that an Elder spoke to him?" Aika asked, for now putting aside the Yafutoma idea, a little thankfully.

Vyse sighed at her happiness at the change of subject. "Yeah...Them and..."

"Ramirez, right?" Fina finished quietly. "But...Ramirez has no children...nor do the Elders..."

"...I suppose that instead of trying to think of the possibilities, I should just go to Rixis. It's easier to move around now that the construction is done." Enrique pointed out. "And Fina? Do you think that there is any chance that there are Silvites down here that didn't go up with the Great Silver Shrine and survived the Rains of Destruction? They may just be blending in with the rest of the world,"

She nodded slowly, considering the fact, "But I'm sure that the Elders would know...But it's not impossible. And Enrique, should you really just up and leave? You're the king now..."

Vyse grinned, "Oh, who cares? It's not like the Valua will fall apart if he's gone for a short while! Besides, it's been awhile since I've been on the Delphinus!"

"Vyse, you just want to ride the Delphinus!" Aika laughed. "But he's right; nothing will go wrong if he's only gone for a bit. It'll be just like the old days when all of us sailed together in the Delphinus!"

"Yes, it would be nice. We can depart in a little while, I have to at least tell my Armada that I'm leaving," Enrique stated, pushing off of the rail he'd been leaning on. "Haelinn would kill me if I left without telling her," he chuckled. "I swear, she is just like an over-protective older sister!"

Since the rebuilding of Valua, Enrique had made his own Armada. He only had three Admirals though. A Nasr warrior renowned for his battle tactics skills by the name of Ruan, a Yafutoman strategist named Rinoa, and finally his only Valuan Admiral, Haelinn. She was about two years older than him, and thus was now his 'older sister' since he had no other family. Each of them were fine soldiers and very loyal, he was proud to have them as his Admirals. Even if Ruan was a little anti-social and didn't always get along with the other Admirals that well.

"Yeah, she really worries about you, doesn't she? Heh, maybe it's more than a sister's love," Aika teased.

"Oh please. You just love to tease me about my love life don't you?" he glared at her playfully.

She laughed. "Well, whatever happened to you and Moegi? I thought that you two were meant to be?"

"Shut up about that! You know about what happened! You misjudged me. I don't like her like that!"

"But she sure loves you, Enrique! It was so cruel that you rejected her hand in marriage!" she joked.

"Stop it! I don't want to talk about it, Aika!"

"Lord Enrique, is something wrong!" that was when the blonde Admiral came running up, apparently overhearing the shout. She was dressed in her uniform as always, and had her long hair in a ponytail behind her. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that.

He looked at her a little apologetically, "No, nothing is wrong, Haelinn. I was just chatting with Aika here. She was teasing me, is all. Don't worry, everything's fine, Sis," he knew the best way to calm her and to get on her good side was to call her 'sis'. She almost always melted after hearing her 'little brother' call her that. And this time was no different.

She smiled and sighed. "That's good to hear. I'm sorry for the rude entry, I just thought that there was something wrong," she bowed and took her post against the wall. It was usual; she always leaned against walls to observe.

"Haelinn, it's very convenient that you came, actually. I am leaving briefly to Ixa'takan lands to investigate an urgent matter. I would like it if you informed the other Admirals and the people,"

"Ixa'taka? Why not send myself or another Admiral to go for you? Ixa'taka is one of the next targets for the freakish incidents, my lord! Surely you've heard about what happened recently in Maramba! It's much too dangerous for you to go there!" she pushed off the wall, unnerved and worried. Haelinn was very clever; it seemed that she'd drawn the same conclusion about the events plaguing the lands. She'd noticed the pattern just as they had.

He'd expected a reaction like this from Haelinn. Actually, he'd wanted to tell Ruan, he would've probably just said a quiet 'yes, my lord' and left it at that. "Sis, I'll be fine. We're going in the Delphinus. And besides, it's only a short trip," he calmly reasoned. He barely heard Vyse, Aika, and Fina giggle a bit about his plight, knowing that it was going to be hell trying to get his sister to agree to this.

"My lord, I cannot just let you go to Ixa'taka! You'll be in danger there! Can't it wait until the mysterious force passes by Ixa'taka?" she begged, now standing in front of him, clutching his hand as if it would keep him from leaving. The look of desperation and fear showed on her face.

It made him feel a little guilty, knowing that he'd worried her so. She really was an overprotective sister. In the Rains of Destruction she'd lost her little brother and her older sister. She was like Enrique, her family was gone too. Her mother had died from cancer eight years ago, and her father had abandoned her family seven years after she was born in order to chase another woman. "Haelinn, I swear that I'll come back. But this can't wait. This is extremely urgent. I'm so sorry that I'm worrying you so, but Sis, I need to go there,"

She looked down and released his hand in defeat. "My lord, little bro...You'd better come back or I'll jump off the top floor of the palace to join you so that I can strangle you for leaving!" she joked. "I'll tell the other Admirals and the people of your departure. Please be safe..."

"I will Sis. Don't worry; I won't be gone for more than a week. I'll see you upon my return," he then kissed her on the cheek and walked past her. Vyse and the others followed suit, each nodding to Haelinn out of respect. "Ready the Delphinus for take off! She's going on a journey!" Enrique called to his men at the docks. They all looked at him and nodded, making the necessary preparations for departure. In about ten minutes, she was ready to go.

"This is so great. It's been so long since I've been in here...She hasn't changed much has she?" Vyse whistled as he walked to the bridge of the greatest ship ever made. To this day, the Delphinus was still unrivaled in its power and speed.

Aika smiled as she entered. "Yeah, it's not really that different. This ship has so many memories. It's so nice to be on the Delphinus again!"

"Yes, it's so pleasant to be sailing again. I have hardly ever left Valua in these five years. I can't wait to go somewhere else for a change. Vyse, you can take the wheel. Go ahead and drive her again," Enrique smiled. Vyse lit up immediately.

"Seriously! Thanks Enrique! You don't know how much I was hoping you'd say that!" he ran over to the wheel and grinned as he put his hands on the familiar surface. It really brought back memories to be at the wheel of the Delphinus. The four smiled, cherishing and taking in the nostalgia. "Alright! Let's go to Ixa'taka!" he then drove the Delphinus out of Valua and above the clouds.

Enrique hadn't realized how much he'd missed seeing blue sky until now. He went over to the window and pressed his hands against it, looking down at the sights that he'd been missing for five years. "Vyse, can we stop by Maramba first? I want to see how horrible it was..." in truth, he just wanted to stall his time outside as well. The feeling of freedom was coursing through him, and he also wanted to know the extent of the damage the freakish incident could cause.

"Sure, it is your ship, Enrique. Setting course for Maramba!" Vyse replied, turning the ship.

It took about a half hour to reach the city.

The damage was very conspicuous. Buildings were collapsed, there were cracks in the ground and on some buildings that had remained upright, and there were dried bloodstains speckled across the ground. Enrique shivered. It was a saddening and a terrifying sight to behold. Some ships came with relief, such as food and medicine, or materials to rebuild with.

"This is awful...How could a Moon do this?" he whispered.

"I don't know, but it's pretty strange. Why was this the only place that has suffered like this? No other sighting has reported damage. It's really weird. Nowhere else has been attacked like Maramba has," Vyse stated.

Aika looked around, watching the people working on houses first. Everyone was working hard to rebuild, and others were recovering bodies found in the ruins and preparing burials for them. There was definitely a gloomier atmosphere now, but they were making the best of what they had. "It's sad...I hope that they can recover someday..." she murmured.

"Yeah...this is terrible..." Fina agreed. "But Vyse is right. Why is Maramba the only town hit this hard? Other than this, there were only reports of slight but sudden pressure changes, but not so drastic as this,"

Vyse looked at a paper. It listed the dates and descriptions of the sightings. "You know...now that I look at it, there is a creepy pattern. Slowly the sightings have been getting steadily more dangerous. First it was only a sighting and a colder atmosphere at Pirate Isle. Second it was a very slight pressure change in Valua. Third it was a fell wind and a pressure change in the Lands of Ice. And now...it's this. It's been slowly getting worse!"

The other three looked at the paper as well and read it. "Oh my god...you're right! It's as if it's been gaining power over time. Look, the time between sightings have been getting less and less too! The time from the first and second time was ten and a half months, the time from the second and third is eight months, and the time from the third to this time is only five months! Vyse...if this pattern is true...then the next attack will be very soon!" Fina noticed.

"Yafutoma or Ixa'taka..." Enrique whispered. "It must be Ixa'taka! Why else would that woman tell me to save her child so urgently now! We have to go immediately before it's too late!"

Aika looked at him worriedly, "But...what if it hits on our way there? We'll be forced down! Especially if it's stronger this time! You can see what it did here!" she was shaking slightly, "This isn't something to be trifled with! Whatever that object is its very powerful!"

"I know. I'm scared too! But we have to go!"

Fina murmured something and then looked at them, "If the pattern is true...it won't be more than four days or so until the next strike. We don't know for sure if it's Yafutoma or Ixa'taka, but if we're going, we need to go now,"

"We should respond to her call. Like I said, if someone doesn't want to go, they don't have to. Fina, Aika, you guys can stay here, you know," Vyse put in. "But Fina's right, we need to leave now. So if you're coming, we're leaving in twenty minutes. I want to go see if someone needs anything! Meet back on the Delphinus if you're coming!" he then went into the city.

Enrique went around as well for a while, taking notes on supplies he could send to help with construction. Fina and Aika were aiding the wounded people with magic and medicines. In twenty minutes the four gathered on the Delphinus.

"So, you guys are sure you want to come?" Vyse asked one last time.

Enrique nodded, "I have to go. She called out to me, after all. Besides, it would've been pointless for me to come if I turned back now,"

"Well, it isn't as if the things we've done in the past were much safer!" Aika stated with a grin.

"I have no intention of ignoring a call for help made by one of my people," Fina replied.

Vyse smiled, "Alright then! On to Ixa'taka!" he then went to the wheel and began their journey to Rixis. Enrique felt chills the moment they hit Ixa'takan Airspace. That was a bad sign, that or a sign that he was being overcautious. He glanced around and saw similar chills run through Fina, Aika, and Vyse. That was an even worse sign, especially if Vyse got it. It was almost certain. This was the next hit.

"We should warn the Ixa'takans, shouldn't we? I mean, you felt it too, didn't you? That sick feeling?" Aika asked. Fina and Enrique nodded.

"Yeah, we should. Let's go there first, okay?" Vyse asked. When no rebuttal came, he landed in Horteka. "I'll go alone, just to do this faster. We need to warn them quickly and then head over to Rixis. Leave the engines on, I'll be back soon!" he then jumped off the ship and ran towards the Elder's house.

Fina looked at Enrique then, "I think that after this we should go warn the Yafutomans. It'll only be about a month before it strikes Yafutoma after it hits Ixa'taka..."

He nodded, "Yes. You're right. Even if I'd rather not have a run-in with Princess Moegi right now..." he sighed.

"Why is that?" Aika wondered.

"Let's just say that when she visited a few months ago...things didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked..." he muttered.

Fina and Aika exchanged looks of confusion. "What happened?" Aika ended up asking.

"Well..." he looked away from their questioning glances and prayed that Vyse would return soon. "Um..."

Aika smirked, noticing a faint blush creeping over Enrique's face. "Come on, Enrique, you can tell us. Right Fina?"

"Yes, you can trust us, Enrique," she had no idea that Aika didn't mean it like she did. Aika was picking on Enrique, while Fina just genuinely was curious. Enrique really wished that Vyse would come back then.

"I...uh...well...she..." he stuttered.

"Yes-s-s?" Aika loved every second of this.

"Um...nothing! It just wasn't what I'd planned on," he tried to lie. Aika could see it easily. She then walked closer and pinned him against the window, getting in his face just for some intimidation. Words couldn't describe how fun it was to pester him, or describe how much he wished he were home right now. Fina didn't follow what was going on, and just watched, confused.

"That's a crappy lie if I ever heard one. Come on Enrique, you can trust me!" she grinned mischievously.

He just shivered a little from the close contact and tried to back further away, but was already as far as he could get from her, and that, regrettably, was not very far at all. "Aika...You're invading my personal space..."

"Am I interrupting anything?" Vyse snickered as he came up. Enrique wanted to scream 'my savior!' and hug him, but decided against it.

Aika mouthed 'don't worry, there's plenty of time' and turned away. "No, we were just having a friendly chat. What did the Elder say?"

Enrique got away from the wall a little before resting his head on the window. 'She is just plotting my doom, I know it...' he thought.

"He said that everyone would evacuate to safer ground and prepare themselves for the assault. It's nice that he believes me without question still! It made things go much faster," Vyse replied as he turned the ship towards Rixis and drove.

"Yeah, well, we did save their lands those years ago. It'd be rude to have forgotten what we went through for them, even though they hated us back then."

Fina went over to Enrique, wondering why he was quietly thudding his head against the window. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. Aika is what's wrong," he sighed.

"Aika? What did she do?"

He looked at her. She was still so guileless, just like she'd been years ago. A smile crossed his face then. "Just pestering me as usual, is all. No need to worry about it, Fina," he assured.

"There's the Gates. Everyone ready? We have no clue as to where the child is, so we need to be ready to battle a few monsters while we're here! Let's go!" Vyse declared, picking up his trusty twin blades and putting them into the sheathes crossed on his back. Aika grabbed her boomerang and leaned it on her shoulder. Fina tapped her bracelet, awakening Cupil, her small guardian. Enrique already had his rapier on his hip.

"I'm ready. Let's get going so we can get out of here." Aika replied, seeming a little nervous. It was the fact that the force may come while they were there, and it wasn't as if the place was totally stable. They could easily fall if the pressure caused the ground to break up and sink.

Fina stepped towards the door and got off the Delphinus, following Vyse. "We should try to find the child as soon as possible. Any time now the Black Moon may loom over Ixa'taka,"

"Hopefully there aren't any monsters after the kid. Why would a child be here in Rixis? It's been abandoned since the Old World..." Enrique murmured. The four entered Rixis, traveling slowly at first in order to get their lungs used to the height and lesser amount of air. After a few minutes they began to pick up the pace, slaughtering any monsters in the way.

"Damn it! Where the hell is the kid!" Aika growled as she fended off a dog-like creature and burned it with Pyrum.

"I don't know! The woman never said where! All she said was that her child was in Rixis!" Enrique responded, cutting down a living totem. It seemed that there were more monsters now than there'd been when they first came to Rixis. And that they were much stronger than before, too.

Fina shrieked as a giant sloth-like monster cut her across the arm before Cupil changed into a sword and killed it. She cast Sacres to heal herself soon after. "Why is it so much harder to break through than last time? They're so much stronger now!" she groaned. "Pyrulen!" she screamed as she burned a few monsters.

"Enrique, are you sure that she said Rixis? I don't know why a child would be here! You're positive!" Vyse asked, blocking an attack and countering. "Do you think that there's something going on? The monsters seem...different. More bloodthirsty! You don't think that it has to do with the Black Moon, do you!"

"I'm sure she said Rixis!" he returned.

Fina jumped and went back-to-back with Vyse. "The Black Moon does change negatives and positives. It very well could alter biotic creatures. It may be driving the monsters insane, since they had a sixth sense, unlike humans! And there have been rumors that occasionally people get more violent a little before the Black Moon arrives. Animals have been said to act up just beforehand too!"

"So that means that this is a sign that there's not much time left before the Black Moon comes, right! We have to get out of here quick!" Aika declared, finishing off her last opponent. The four were now frantically running deeper and deeper into Rixis, even though their time left was increasingly shorter. Knowing full well that this place was practically a death trap ready to spring very soon...


	3. Intersection

Disclaimer: I still don't own SoA

Author Notes: There is some explicit yaoi in this chapter(it is rated M). If you don't like that, then you can just bypass all of the words in italics and resume after they end. If it doesn't bother you, then read on. Don't complain if you don't like it, because I did warn you. And by the way, for those who don't know, when Ramirez mentions his 'father', he means Mendosa, not his actual father.

Chapter Two: Intersection

He was dreaming. Dreaming of the faraway past. Back when Galcian was still alive. When he was still young to the world below the Great Silver Shrine; when he was so innocent and then defiled. He knew now what he'd done to him, but still loved him as a master. Maybe that'd never change. He had been the one to awaken him from the dream-like consciousness he'd had before entering the cruel reality. His own 'father' had betrayed him. It was Galcian who opened his eyes, gave birth to his new, colder and wiser self. That was probably why he couldn't hate him for what he did. For ruining him, laying his self bare and sneering the whole time. A very heartless man, yes, but still the one who helped him understand the world around him. Power didn't betray him; it'd only not been enough to kill the four of them combined. Well, he'd change that when he recovered. Until then, he'd just watch his past in this dream.

_It was years ago, when he'd been just promoted to being Galcian's right hand man. When he'd sworn his absolute loyalty about three weeks ago. Galcian looked at him and sighed._

_"You know, Ramirez, you really should carry your sword at all times," he stated, looking at the young Silvite. Ramirez had gotten up late that morning and had totally forgotten to grab his sword before rushing out of his room to join his lord's side at the meeting._

_Ramirez patted his side to check for said weapon, and felt only his belt. No sword and no sheath. He flushed in embarrassment and humiliation and bowed, "I'm so sorry my lord! I forgot to grab it..." he apologized._

_Galcian laughed quietly. "It's alright for today. There's no need for it. I'm just warning you for now. If we'd been leaving to go somewhere, you'd be useless and defenseless. And then you'd be putting yourself and me in danger," he patiently advised. The two were walking down the hall to the meeting room._

_"Y-yes, my lord...I'm terribly sorry. It will never happen again, I swear."_

_He turned and smiled at him. "I'm sure it won't, Ramirez," he loved the way he said his name with his grand voice. He loved Galcian's voice period, actually. But it was the particular way he said his name that made him want to smile. He looked up sheepishly at his lord, hoping to find no trace of anger, and was relieved when that was true. Galcian stopped, and Ramirez, surprised, did as well. They hadn't reached the Meeting Room yet, and were really nowhere. Just in a part of the long stretch of hall. "Come here for a second,"_

_Ramirez bowed slightly, "Of course my lord," he then advanced a few steps toward his lord, curious of what he wanted. "Is this close enough?"_

_"No, a little further," he then moved forward and cupped Ramirez's chin in one of his large hands and tilted his face up. "You belong to me now, you know that right?" Ramirez, confused, only nodded in response. "Good, I'm glad you recognize that already," he then leaned down, being taller than Ramirez by a decent amount, and pressed his lips to Ramirez's. Ramirez shivered at the unfamiliar but pleasant contact and moaned quietly when he felt a tongue slip into his mouth. Galcian wrapped an arm around the small of Ramirez's back and pulled him close to keep him from swooning and falling down. Ramirez helplessly wrapped both of his arms around Galcian's neck and allowed him to ravish his mouth. It felt so good._

_After a few minutes, Galcian withdrew his tongue and pulled away from the hazy Silvite. Ramirez fell against the nearest wall to keep from collapsing, his eyes glazed with pleasure and mind muddy with confusion and ecstasy. "L-lord?" Ramirez barely whispered, looking at him. Galcian smirked and moved over to the younger man._

_"Yes, Ramirez?" he asked, pressing his more masculine form against Ramirez's smaller build, putting his hands on either side of the youth's head. He then licked and sucked on Ramirez's ear, eliciting a quiet moan and a shiver from him._

_"M-m-master...Wh-what a-are you doing?" he asked._

_"Don't talk now. We don't want anyone hearing you and coming to see what's going on. Just shut up for now. We'll leave soon. The meeting starts in a half hour," Ramirez could feel Galcian smirk against his ear. _

_A hand traveled across the Silvite's slender form, trailing around his chest and abdomen before undoing the belt about his waist. Ramirez had his eyes closed as Galcian kissed him again and once more exploring his mouth. He timidly played with the other tongue this time and shivered as Galcian responded by tormenting him with a much more experienced tongue. His hand continued undoing the barriers around Ramirez's hips and then slipped his hand under the clothes. Ramirez didn't wear anything under the pants like many of the others, since the pants were already so tight. A moan escaped from him as an equally skillful hand played with his most private part. His hands moved onto Galcian's shoulders and he grasped them for dear life to keep from sliding down the wall. Galcian ended the kiss and Ramirez had to bury his head against his chest to keep his moaning and gasping quiet. Galcian was again using his free hand to wrap around Ramirez to keep him upright. Ramirez was shaking badly from the pleasure and slight pain of Galcian's skillful and slightly harsh strokes. He didn't know anything of what Galcian was doing to him, but it felt so damn good. His eyes shot open and a scream pierced from his throat as he felt something spurt into Galcian's hand. He gasped and whimpered as he felt Galcian pull his hand out of his pants and licked off the white liquid._

_"Did you enjoy that, Ramirez? Do you even know what that was?" Galcian asked._

_Ramirez quivered and clutched his lord's shoulders, feeling his knees grow ever weaker. "Y-yes...I know what that is...but nothing of what you did to me..." he hoarsely gasped._

_"I see...Come, Ramirez, we need to be going."_

_"M-master! Please...can't I recover a little?" he pleaded._

_He removed Ramirez's hands, forcing the Silvite to depend on the wall now for stability. "I cannot be late. Actually, I need to be early. It's been twenty minutes. There is barely enough time to make it there before anyone else arrives. Come," he then began the walk again._

_"But...why do you need to be early, milord?" he walked, keeping a hand on the wall, and fixing his clothes with the other._

_"So you may sneak under the table, Ramirez."_

_Ramirez glanced at him quizzically, "Why do you want me under the table, sir?"_

_Galcian merely smirked, "I have reasons,"_

_The two of them entered the room. No one else had come yet, it seemed. Ramirez looked at Galcian. "Do you want me to go under the table now?"_

_"Yes, go to the foot of my chair. I have something I need you to do." Galcian then went over to his seat and sat down in it. Ramirez, still confused, crawled under the large table and went to his lord's feet._

_"Now what, my lord?" he asked. The table was wide and long, decorated with an elegant, long tablecloth. Ramirez was able to comfortably sit on his hands and knees under the table, which was nice. Galcian scooted his chair as close to the table as possible, covering most of his lower torso under the table and tablecloth._

_"Undo my pants, Ramirez, and quickly."_

_Now even more confused, Ramirez simply did as he was told._

_"Good. Now, I want you to give me fellatio. Even after people come, and make no sounds, do you understand?"_

_"You mean as in...?"_

_"Yes. I'm sure you know what it means."_

_"Yes, my lord, I do," he then shut up and manipulated Galcian's clothes so he had easy access but revealed none of his activities to anyone above the table. After doing so, he staring at it for a moment, amazed at the size, pondering how he'd fit that in his mouth._

_He heard people entering and talking. Galcian sounded no different than usual. Ramirez finally gave up on thinking and took a small amount of the stiff organ in his mouth. He shivered and continued taking in more until he couldn't fit anymore, even going past his gag reflex. After that, he began gently sucking and licking. He felt a very small shiver from Galcian, but no one above seemed to notice, given that they said nothing about it. He kept on sucking, eventually going harder when he felt Galcian slip a hand under the table and put a hand on the back of Ramirez's head, urging him on silently. He whimpered quietly on the hard cock, his eyes shut tightly as he continued. Galcian's hand grasped a decent amount of Ramirez's hair as he neared the climax. After a while, Ramirez whined as he felt the explosion of hot liquid in his mouth. He drank as quickly as he could, taking in the sweet taste of his master. He'd never done this before, and right now he was wishing he had. After the flow of cum had stopped, Ramirez started to pull away when the hand resting on the back of his head stopped him. He knew that it was an unspoken command to keep going. So he did, all the way until the end of the meeting. The sound of people leaving was obvious, and Ramirez, in a dream-like state of ecstasy, was still sucking gently, even when he barely heard Galcian say something to him, but he wasn't sure what it was due to a haze surrounding his entire body. It took a good thwack to the back of the head to snap back to reality._

_"Do you hear me now?" Galcian asked as he pulled out and away from Ramirez. He stood up and redid his pants. The room was empty except for them. Ramirez crawled out from under the table and rose to his feet._

_"I'm...I apologize, Lord Galcian..." he muttered. He was trying to recover his wits and senses, wobbling on his feet for a bit._

_Galcian sighed and picked him up. "Come on, then," he turned Ramirez's head a little so it was against his chest and left the room. When he passed by others, he said that Ramirez was feeling ill and that he was carrying him to his room, which was only a half-lie. Upon reaching the bedroom, he entered and closed and locked the door behind him. Ramirez looked up at Galcian as he laid him down on the bed and undid the belts and other things scattered across his uniform without taking off the clothes. "Feeling woozy?" he asked, sitting beside him._

_Ramirez just closed his eyes and relaxed. "Yeah...just a little."_

_"Tomorrow there is nothing. No duties, no missions, all we have to do is relax. Meaning that we can stay up late tonight,"_

_"I would suppose so if that is the schedule for tomorrow. Why is that, milord?" he still was just laying there, his arms folded behind his head._

_He sighed, "We're staying in my room tonight. Grab what you want to sleep in and let's go,"_

_"So soon? Can I just lie down for a while?"_

_"I guess so. Go ahead and take a nap, I'll return in a few hours." Galcian then rose and left the room._

_Ramirez drifted off and awoke to the sound of his door opening._

_"Lord Galcian?" he asked, not opening his eyes yet._

_"Yes. Are you feeling better now?"_

_Ramirez sat up and looked at him in the doorway. Galcian had changed out of his uniform and into more casual clothes, but still in an elegant style. "I am, Lord Galcian," he then got up and grabbed a loose pair of pants and a shirt. "I'll sleep in these tonight. Are we heading for your private quarters now, my lord?"_

_Galcian nodded, "We are. Follow me," he turned and exited the room. It was night now, and hardly anyone was walking around the palace now. Ramirez closed the door behind him and went after Galcian, tucking his folded clothes under his arm. He didn't know why Galcian had invited him to stay the night with him, but he had always wanted to rest in the king sized bed in his room. He'd only seen the inside from the doorway, and had dreamed of resting in that comfortable room._

_He walked in after Galcian and stared. It was large, with a balcony and a bathroom attached to it. The bed had drapes surrounding it. They were very slightly see-through and made of the finest materials. The bed was amazingly comfortable, the blanket soft and warm, and the pillows were like heaven. Ramirez changed into his nightclothes and lay down on the left side of the bed with a grin. Maybe he hadn't gotten rid of his old personality quite yet, but right now it didn't matter. "Thank you for inviting me to stay with y--" he was interrupted by Galcian kissing him. It didn't take long to change over from shock to pleasure, but nearly as soon as that happened, Galcian pulled away._

_"There is one more thing left for me to show you, Ramirez. And then you will truly belong to me, mind, soul, and body," he murmured. He pulled off Ramirez's shirt easily and then removed his pants._

_"M-m-my lord! What are you doing!" he pulled away slightly, completely taken aback by the sudden behavior._

_He grabbed Ramirez's ankle and gently but firmly pulled him back down. "Ramirez, just sit there for now. Don't worry, it's nothing really," with that, he removed his own clothes and pulled the blanket over the two of them. A deep flush burned across Ramirez's face, confused, a little embarrassed, and surprised all at the same time. But he did as he was told and only laid there._

_"May I ask what you are doing?" he more calmly inquired this time. He gasped when as Galcian grabbed him and turned him over onto his stomach._

_"Making you mine physically," he whispered in his ear. You swore absolute loyalty, did you not?"_

_"I-I did..."_

_"Good. Now, to complete the deal made between us, you must give yourself to me. Do you agree to this?"_

_Ramirez was baffled and didn't really understand what he meant, but still he replied with: "Yes, my lord. I swore my loyalty and self to you weeks ago."_

_"Very well then. This time, Ramirez, you can make all the noise you want. No one is nearby now,"_

_Oh, and he screamed when Galcian slammed into him. His large cock entered and nearly tore Ramirez apart. He screamed until he relaxed his body and became used to the intrusion. That was when he began moaning in pleasure. Galcian also made quieter moans, enjoying the tightness of his young vice captain. It didn't take long for him to climax inside of the Silvite, coating him with his seed. Ramirez shivered at the feeling and began slowly responding to the thrusts into his body, helping him push deeper into him, wanting to fully sheathe his lord. Whimpering and moaning, he started pushing back harder, shoving that massive cock against the most sensitive spot, over and over again. The lifted ban on making noise was a huge relief, he knew there was no way he couldn't have made noise this time. He was ravished all night and partially into the next morning by his elder master, and had accomplished his goal of bringing him to the hilt. After releasing one last time, Galcian pulled out of the weary Silvite and drew him close._

_"I...am...yours..." Ramirez barely whispered, kissing Galcian lightly before losing consciousness._

That had been a long time ago. He'd been taken and defiled by a man that cared nothing for him, only his body and talent. He knew that he'd tried to give his heart to a man that wanted it not and had blatantly no intention of returning the gesture. Galcian had even told Ramirez that all he wanted was his power and luscious body. He'd followed him anyway, somewhere in the back of his mind hoping that he'd change his mind.

But no, not even in his death had he showed any sign of true affection. For all it'd mattered, Ramirez may as well have confessed his love to a rock and awaited its answer. He was past that stage; he had been for awhile now. After about nine months he'd given up on Galcian changing his mind, unlike that foolish Belleza, who had loved him until the very end, literally.

Well, it didn't much matter now. He loved nothing and felt no attachments to anything. After basking in the light of the Green Moon, the Moon of life, for a few days now, he felt better. He rose to his feet, still unsteady though. It seemed that he wasn't fully healed yet. He groaned and took in his surroundings. It didn't take long to realize that he was in the temple atop Rixis. So, that was where his mother brought him. Wise, in the light of the Green Moon, but away from people who surely held a grudge against him.

"Thank you Mother," he whispered. Okay, so maybe there was one thing he cared about. She had after all died for him, twice. He went down and sat on one of the top steps, looking at the great view. There was something wrong though. Something...disturbing was in the air.

"_Ramirez! You must make haste and start heading for the exit! I called some people to come rescue you! In only about an hour the Black Moon will rise over this continent and unleash it's power! Please, hurry!_" he heard his mother in his mind again. She sounded terrified.

"The Black Moon? But I thought that it disappeared years ago!"

"_It did, but it's back now! Please, I will fully explain it to you later, but for now, you need to get away from here! They're looking for you, but aren't moving fast enough! You must go meet up with them!_" she cried.

He stood up and grit his teeth. His wounds weren't fully healed yet, that was for sure. A small trickle of blood ran down his right leg to the ground. "Isn't this wonderful?" he muttered, heading down the stairs quickly. "Mother, I've been meaning to ask you, how much time has passed since my defeat on Soltis?"

She was silent for a moment. "_It's been...five years now. It took a long time for your already-expended Crystal to gather the energy to restore your body and soul. Especially since it landed in Deep Sky, so far from the Silver Moon. But you haven't aged. Instead of being twenty-four, like you should be, you are still stuck as an nineteen year old,_" she explained as he went down the "elevator". Ramirez's eyes widened at hearing that. Five years gone. Five years that had not affected him. He looked no older, and felt no older.

"It's been five years! Five years since my lord fell! DAMN!" it was way too late now...Even if he sailed down into Deep Sky...how could he have survived down there this long! Even if he used the emergency rations well...unless he resorted to cannibalism and ate the others...But even then...Well, at least he could recover his body and give him a proper burial. He hit the ground running when the platform was close enough, ignoring his wounds. He couldn't die here! Not now! It didn't really matter who the 'rescuers' were, he needed to get off this time bomb of an island.

He was glad for his speed, outrunning most of the monsters that came after him. He had his sword, but fighting those stupid creatures would burn up time he needed to escape. That was when he sensed a spell being cast. A Sacres spell, to be exact. Only about a quarter mile away from his present location. Well, he knew which way to head to find them now. All that was left was to make it there. It'd already been fifteen minutes now. Only forty five left to get off Rixis, and get far away from the Ixa'takan area. He was really hoping that his mother called rescuers with a fast ship. Saying it took twenty or so minutes, that would give them just enough time to exit Ixa'taka through the break in the rock wall nearby, but just barely in a standard ship. If it were a merchant or fishing ship, they'd be as good as dead. His Monoceros would be perfect, she was a fairly speedy ship. She'd only need about twelve minutes to clear the area.

"Mother, please tell me that they have at least a decent ship!" he pleaded, running as fast as he could. He was nearing the area of the Sacres spell after about a minute and a half. All of the ruins were an ass to dodge around, but he couldn't let that bother him now. He heard a female scream in pain, and it was near. He jumped off of a wrecked building and landed on his hands and knees, right behind a monster. With a groan, he drew his blade in a lightning fast motion and whacked it in half. "Are you the..." his voice trailed off in disbelief. Of all the people, his mother sent the Pirates who'd nearly killed him!


	4. Looming

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Skies of Arcadia, but hey, I do own Azael! Yay, I own something.

Author Notes: Azael is an original character ). I don't have much else to say besides thank you for reading and enjoying (hopefully...) my story. I'm having fun writing this and I hope that I don't take too long between chapters. Sorry if I do, and well, blame school. Hehe. I'll try to work as fast and as well as I can.

Chapter Three: Looming

Ramirez was about ready to puke now. He couldn't believe that his own mother had asked the bastard who'd killed his master to rescue him. "What are you doing here!" he demanded, hoping that maybe he was wrong. It was highly doubtful, but there was a slim chance.

Vyse killed the last present monster and turned to face him. "Like you should talk! What the hell are you doing in Rixis!" he retorted.

Enrique heard the woman again. This time she urgently told him that there was only thirty-eight minutes before the arrival of the Black Moon, and that Ramirez was the one she'd asked him to save. He could hardly believe it. How was Ramirez even alive? Well, that didn't really matter right now. "Vyse! We need to leave, NOW!" he shouted. "The woman just told me that there is only thirty-eight minutes left!"

"WHAT!" Aika shrieked.

"But what about her child! We haven't found her child yet!" Fina commented. "We can't just leave without the kid!"

"Well...we aren't...Ramirez is the child we were asked to find, actually..."

The three of them looked from Enrique to Ramirez and back. "You've got to be kidding me!" Vyse growled.

"Can we settle this later? We're burning precious time we need to get out of here. The longer we wait, the more monsters will come and the less time before the Black Moon's arrival," Ramirez stated. He still didn't like this, but he was willing to put his revenge in the backseat for now, just until he was fully healed and was safely away from Ixa'taka.

Fina, his old friend, was quick to notice the blood coming down his legs in small rivulets. "You're hurt! What were you doing running around in your condition!" she lectured, like a little sister scolding her foolish elder brother. She went over and cast Sacrulen on him, hoping to stop the bleeding. He didn't understand why she still cared about him, but it was a little sweet.

"It doesn't matter, we need to move." Ramirez shook his head. "And now. I trust that you came in the Delphinus?" he then began running, the others keeping their weapons out, also started to run back the way they'd come from. Fina tried to stay near him, but he was quicker than she was.

"Yes, we did, why?" Enrique asked, staying fairly close to him. Ramirez was slightly impressed. He'd never known that the pampered little prince was so quick.

"We'll need all of the speed we can get to clear the area, naturally. The more time and quickness of the ship, the better. It isn't going to be pretty. I'd rather not find out how much damage this is going to cause..."

"_Ramirez! It's picking up more speed! There is only fourteen minutes now, not a half hour! Please hurry! I don't want you to die!"_

When he heard that, he just stopped. Enrique, Vyse, Fina, and Aika all stopped shortly after, looking at him with confused stares. "Fourteen...? That..." he murmured. His sword clattered to the ground. It would've taken at least twenty minutes to get out of Rixis. There was no way they'd make it even to the Delphinus in fourteen. Much less escape.

"Fourteen what? Listen, we need to be going! There's no time to waste, like you said!" Vyse urged.

"You fool. We can't get out of here. There's only fourteen min--" Ramirez started, but a startlingly powerful gust of malignant wind blew violently across the land. It nearly knocked Aika, Fina, and Enrique over, while Ramirez and Vyse kept steady footing. Ramirez's pupils widened considerably.

Up in the sky was the largest, darkest Moon. It sent chills through their spines just looking at it. It washed the light of the Green Moon to away, replacing it with a sickening black light, and cast a fiendish ebony glow.

"It's too late...Soon it will unleash the pressure waves...We need to at least find safer ground! A more solid area, which can stand pressure without breaking apart!" Ramirez picked up his weapon, sheathed it, and looked around the immediate area.

"Oh...my...god...Can you hear that!" Aika shivered. Fina was shaking terribly, and Cupil was whimpering. Enrique shuddered a little and Vyse quivered slightly.

There was the screeching and baying of creatures, an unearthly sound. As if it were monsters of the netherworld crying out. The sound was numbing and petrifying. Even Ramirez was unnerved by the hellish cries of the creatures.

"I hear it...But we need to find a good place to stay, there's only a few precious minutes left. Come on, over here seems pretty solid," Ramirez went over to a patch of land and laid down on his stomach. The other four followed him and got down as well. Enrique was shaking more now, taking in the situation deeper and deeper. This could kill them. If it were strong enough, the pressure could destroy them.

"This is terrible...Just sitting here, waiting for it to come. I can't stand stuff like this! I hate just waiting for something to happen!" Vyse growled, being careful to not fold his arms under his chin, seeing as the pressure could cause him to slam down in them and breaking his arms.

Ramirez looked over at Fina and Enrique. Both of them were scared stiff, that was obvious. Fina had had Cupil turn back into a bracelet for his safety, and was shivering terribly. He felt like he should do something for Enrique.

Years ago, he'd been his personal "babysitter" for about sixteen months, because Gregorio, his usual guardian, had been busy. He'd actually had fun hanging out with the young prince, sneaking out in small ships and traveling around a little. They'd gone to Nasr, Maramba, Sailor's Island, and actually, Ramirez had shown Enrique Rixis. He'd even taken him to look at the Green Moon Crystal. During that time, Ramirez had developed a slight protectiveness over the prince, treating him like a brother. Family he'd never had, and had hardly any concept of. At age two he'd lost his mother and father. He heard that he had an elder brother, but he'd disappeared when his parents had. He didn't even remember having a brother. It was hard to understand familial connections, since he had never had a family. But with Enrique and once Fina, he'd gained a small concept. Apparently that hadn't worn off yet.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ramirez asked quietly, moving closer to Enrique. Enrique was sitting up currently, so Ramirez rose to his knees as well. "There's about five minutes until impact now. You should lie down,"

Enrique shakily nodded, staring up at the Moon, which was growing ever closer. "I-I know...I think I'll be okay..."

With a sigh, Ramirez wrapped his arms around the other comfortingly. He drew him near and rested Enrique's head against his shoulder. It was strange, since he hadn't changed in five years, and Enrique had grown in that time. It made sense, Enrique had been alive those years, not entrapped in a crystal. "It's alright. You aren't going to die, Enrique," the words came so naturally, he didn't even have to think of what to say. Enrique was surprised by the embrace, but welcomed it gratefully. He returned the hug whole-heartedly.

Aika had a suggestive smirk on her face now. Vyse noticed it and shook his head. Well, if Enrique did live, he was never going to hear the end of this, he could tell. Fina thought of it as a cute brotherly interaction, unlike Aika.

"...Thank you. We should get down now, though..." Enrique noted. Ramirez nodded and pulled away. Both of them laid down.

Ramirez glanced up at the Moon. "About a minute or so longer," he muttered. So many questions were buzzing through his mind that he thought that he was going to go insane. Why was the Black Moon here now? It could've struck at any time, couldn't have? Or was something preventing it? And his mother...It was so hard to believe that she had--

His thoughts and all the others' were cut off then by a crushing pressure change. It pushed them down so hard and fast that it knocked the air out of their lungs, and some of them had just been breathing out. Ramirez nearly fell unconscious at the sheer power of the blow. Cracks split across the already weakened ground and created fissures. Watching helplessly and in slight panic, their eyes followed the gashes that came dangerously close to them. But no one could even scream for the pressure being pressed onto their lungs, it was hard enough to get in a decent amount of oxygen. But just looking in Aika and Fina's eyes, one could tell they were screaming in their minds.

After about ten minutes, he wondered how much more he could take. The power was crushing him and the others. Breathing hurt, the thudding of their hearts against their chest was painful, and being pushed so hard into the ground that it was like an invisible being was trying to meld their bodies into the earth was excruciating. There were tears of pain rolling down Fina's face, as well as Enrique and Aika. Vyse was biting his lip so hard it was bleeding, and Ramirez was digging his fingers into the ground. Wind was tearing apart the trees of the nearby forests and sweeping up some Ixa'takans then throwing them into the air. The winds were weaker since they were above the clouds and because of all the ruined buildings blocking much of it. Ships twirled out of control and went plummeting beneath the clouds, likely to never be seen again.

When another half hour passed, the pressure had become stronger. Getting a proper amount of air was extraordinarily difficult, and it was showing. All of them felt their consciousness slipping slowly, their eyelids became heavier, and the pain was less and less noticeable. Fighting the drowsiness, but losing steadily.

It was near the loss of consciousness that it just instantly stopped. Everything was normal again. No wind, no pressure. Blinking incredulously, they all looked at one another. Rising to their knees, they breathed in deep, as if they'd never breathed so easily before.

"Is it really over...just like that? It was so strangely instant. Doesn't that just seem a little weird?" Enrique was the first to speak, a little breathlessly though. His chest was heaving slightly as he readjusted to a proper amount of oxygen being supplied to his lungs.

Vyse nodded. "Yeah, that is awkward. I think that we should take advantage of the opportunity to get out of here though. We need to see if the Delphinus survived, first,"

"I hope it did. That's our only way out! And we still need to warn the Yafutomans! When it hits them, it'll be even worse!" Fina replied.

Aika nodded. "Let's get going then! No time to waste!"

Ramirez said nothing. It was too awkward. There was no way that it would just end like that...He looked up at the sky. His eyes widened. The Black light wasn't gone, neither was the Moon. It wasn't over..."We need to go _now_," he stated, rising unsteadily. "That wasn't the end. There's something el--"

A pressure worse than before struck then, there was a sick cracking sound as Ramirez's legs broke under him and he fell to the ground with such alacrity that it caused a small crater beneath his body. The others slammed down, having no time to scream, no time to worry about the most unfortunate of them.

Black blood flooded into the crater from the wounds that covered Ramirez's legs. His eyes were dilated and his mouth open in a silent cry of pain, even though he was already unconscious. The blood gathered around the wounds and healed them, mending his broken bones and lacerated skin. The rest of it gathered on his skin and healed the other injuries.

"_That means...oh no...that part of him is awake now...Soon his brother will be able to sense him then. This is probably because of the short contact with Zelos, and now...This is bad. All I can do is hope that the seal doesn't come undone..."_ she worried.

Dim lighting, a crowd of people, everyone screaming in terror. Why were they afraid? What was happening?

A small blonde boy wormed through the crowd of horrified Silvites to see what they were gawking at. He gripped a rail and looked down. They were on Soltis, back before it was torn from sinking below the clouds, back thousands of years before the Silvites all either died or went up to the Great Silver Shrine. His eyes froze on the two figures far down, one a person, the other an embryonic form of the Silver Gigas. The creature had partially broken the seal placed by the Silvites after the Rains. It was trying to free itself, to no longer obey the Silvite's commands.

"Ramirez! We have to get out of here! Zelos won't just sit there for long!" an older boy, about sixteen while the younger child was of nine years of age.

"But Brother...Isn't that Mom down there?" he asked frantically. The elder brother had a hold of the child's arm now.

He didn't look away from the youth. "Ramirez, Mom said that she wanted me to get you out of here. She told me that something highly experimental and very likely dangerous was about to take place soon. We have to go back up to the Shrine. That's what Mom wants," he tried to calmly explain.

"No! I'm not leaving without Mom!" he cried. The elder brother shook his head and hoisted the light boy onto his shoulder and started running towards the dock. The other Silvites stayed, watching the woman who dared go so close to an unpredictable Gigas.

"I'm sorry Ramirez, but I have to get you out of here!" he apologized as he ran.

"LET ME GO! DAD'S BACK THERE TOO! WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE THEM! PUT ME DOWN!" Ramirez begged as tears welled in his eyes from fear and worry. He squirmed, but his stronger brother kept his grip on him easily.

Upon reaching the dock, the older brother tossed Ramirez into their family's ship and began untying it. Ramirez hit the deck hard and cried out, having landed headfirst. His mind was hazy from the impact, and he couldn't find the strength to stand upright. "Rammy, you have to get out of here, okay? I'm sorry, but I have to go see if Mom's okay. I'll be back as soon as possible though, alright? If I don't come back in ten minutes, I want you to get the hell out of here and go up to the Silver Shrine, got it?" he explained.

Ramirez stared at him with only half-seeing eyes and groaned something incomprehensible. He reached out to his brother, but he was already leaving. He tried to bring back his fragmented sense of consciousness, but fighting the haziness was tough. All he really wanted to do was lie down on the deck and go from there, but he didn't want to waste time, so he tried to force his senses back into focus.

That was when he saw a great flash of black and silver intertwined. There was blood-chilling screeches of absolute fright and then of pain. Ramirez looked towards the entrance of Soltis and saw Silvites running towards their ships. Explosions sounded, flames came flying into the dock area, roasting many fleeing Silvites. Ramirez choked on a cry as he shuddered from fear as he saw them combust and burn.

"Ramirez!" a young girl cried. She came running, her dress partly burnt and some minor burns on her skin, up to his ship. "Can I come on? My family's ship was destroyed!" she babbled, fright flaring in her eyes.

"Yeah..." he groaned, finally gathering his senses back. She jumped on the ship. Ramirez knew, he probably should leave, but he couldn't abandon his brother and parents.

"Get out of here, you idiot!" his brother came up, covered in terrible burns all over his body. He jumped on the ship and went to the wheel, limping.

Ramirez followed after him. "What are you doing! We can't le--"

"Mom can't come! And Dad was already killed in the first blast! We can't stay here!" he then began steering the ship for the exit and zoomed towards the Silver Shrine. "Mom...she won't be coming home either..."

"What are you saying! Stop the ship! If she's alive, she can escape with us!" Ramirez yelled. "Come on, Fina, back me up!" he looked at the girl, and she nodded.

"Please, Azael, we can't leave her!" she begged.

He shook his head slowly, "Brother, Fina, she wouldn't even fit on this ship anymore..." he whispered, going away from Soltis at full speed.

Ramirez's eyes widened and a disheartened feeling washed over him. "Wh-what do you mean by that...?" he shakily asked.

"Ramirez, look back at Soltis..."

He turned, and screamed.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" his eyes snapped open and he shot up. Gasping and panting, he looked around worriedly. How was it that he'd been alive thousands of years ago! He was only nineteen years old...Well, technically twenty-four, but little details like that didn't matter, right? For that matter, how was he even alive?

"R-Ramirez...You're alright? I thought that you died!" Fina gasped. Ramirez noticed then that the four friends were looking at him now, each looking rather worried. Enrique had nearly had a heart attack from the sudden burst, but was glad to see that he wasn't harmed at all...which was a little weird; since he'd sworn that he'd seen Ramirez's legs get pulverized by the unexpected pressure wave. Aika smiled as Fina hugged Ramirez and Vyse sighed.

"Well...the Moon's gone now...We should go and see if the Delphinus is still up here. We're lucky that we aren't seriously injured," Vyse commented, standing up.

Ramirez gently removed the ecstatic girl's arms and rose as well, now realizing that all of his wounds were repaired. How long had they been unconscious? Had it been so long that he'd had time to heal? No, that wasn't possible, he never stayed unconscious that long. "Mother..." he murmured.

"_Yes Ramirez? It's been two days since you lost consciousness,_" she replied kindly.

He nodded and unconsciously brought his left arm across his chest and placed his right elbow on the left forearm and gently bit his index finger's knuckle. That wasn't enough time to have recovered. "Mother, that dream...was in a memory, or was it just a figment of my imagination?"

She was silent for a moment, as if she were cringing from the question.

"Mother?"

"_Ramirez, that was real...and..._"

Vyse, Aika, Fina, and Enrique wondered what Ramirez was muttering, but apparently it was something important, so they tried to hear exactly what Ramirez was whispering under his breath, too curious not to. And Ramirez wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth.

After all, what he saw when he turned around was...


End file.
